International Booker – publisher predictions #1

Many have joked about a certain blue-covered publisher making frequent appearances on the International Booker longlist, which inspired me to take a deeper look at publisher’s track records. Countrary to popular belief, there are actually 3 publishers likely to make an appearance on each year’s longlist.

Fitzcarraldo Editions

Their blue covers appear on the longlist on all years, except in 2016. You can basically count on there being 1 book from them, or more likely 2.

Eligible books for this year’s longlist are:

• Mild vertigo by Mieko Kanai, translated from Japanese by Polly Barton.
• The annual banquet of the gravedigger’s guild by Mathias Enard, translated from French by Frank Wynne. Mathias Enard was longlisted in 2017. The translator is more frequent on the International Booker scene with 3 past longlistings.
• A shining by Jon Fosse, translated from Norwegian by Damion Searls. At 56 or 48 pages depending on edition it might be too short to meet the criteria of “long-form fiction”. But, I did my homework and A cup of rage by Raduan Nassar with its 64 pages was longlisted in 2016. Jon Fosse has been longlisted twice, both times with Damion Searls as translator, and won the Nobel prize in 2023.
• The singularity by Balsam Karam, translated from Swedish by Saskia Vogel.
• The book of all lovers by Agustín Fernández Mallo, translated from Spanish by Thomas Bunstead.

From this list I would be happy to see Mild Vertigo, and The singularity, on the longlist. I would say The annual banquet of the gravedigger’s guild and The book of all lovers have that fuzzy type of synopsis that International Booker loves, but that makes my focus wander.

Hachette

Through its imprints MacLehose Press and Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Hachette is another publisher with a solid record that has an average of over 1 book per longlist. It started out strong with 2 books on the longlist the first couple of years but then fell into a slump, missing the longlist or getting 1 book in there. Hachette is however back in force after last year’s 3 books (Time shelter, Standing heavy, and Jimi Hendrix live in Lviv). Out of the two imprints MacLehose Press is the most frequent, with Weidenfeld & Nicolson making its first appearance last year.

Rudely I’m excluding all genre fiction which means crime fiction (Oliver Bottini, Åsa Larsson, and Karin Smirnoff), and fantasy (Jin Yong). Although these are some of my favourite genres so I wouldn’t mind being proven wrong. Eligible books:

• Hunter in Huskvarna by Sara Stridsberg, translated from Swedish by Deborah Bragan-Turner. Both author and translator have been longlisted together in the past for The faculty of dreams.
• Nothing belongs to you by Natacha Appanah, translated from French by Jeffrey Zuckerman.
• The movieteller by Hernan Rivera Letelier, translated from Spanish by Margaret Jull Costa. The fact that it isn’t on the list of eligible books on Goodreads makes me wonder if I’m missing something. Maybe it is considered too “commercial”? The translator has one previous longlisting.
• Vengeance is mine by Marie NDiaye, translated from French by Jordan Stump. This would be the second longlisting for the pair, they were previously longlisted for Ladivine.
• Canoes by Maylis de Kerangal, translated from French by Jessica Moore. The duo has been longlisted once before for Mend the living in 2016.
• The silver bone by Andrey Kurkov, translated from Russian by Boris Dralyuk. Kurkov was longlisted last year for Jimi Hendrix live in Lviv.
• Your absence is darkness by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, translated from Icelandic by Philip Roughton. The duo were longlisted in 2017 for Fish have no feet.
• Before the queen falls asleep by Huzama Habayeb, translated from Arabic by Kay Heikkinen.
• And the stones cry out by Clara Dupont-Monod, translated from French by Ben Faccini
• The physics of sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov, translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel. Last year’s winning author and translator with Time shelter.

Out of this very long list I would want to see Before the queen falls asleep, Vengeance is mine, and The stones cry out make it.

Penguin

The first couple of years this was the prize’s Fitzcarraldo, having a record of 5 longlisted books in 2017. Their track record includes 5 imprints.

Penguin definitely wins the prize this year for having websites so annoying I couldn’t find a single eligible book.

Disclaimer

This is based on my skills when using an online Excelish sheet and the limited information available about some imprints. If you use this post to make your predictions and they are off, causing you to lose standing in the bookish community, I can not be held responsible.

Bookstack

I’m back on my library book tower building ways!!! This stack is #LiteraryFifteen inspired.

🏆 Ursula K. Le Guin
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell
Drinking From Graveyard Wells by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu

🏆 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation
Your Wish Is My Command by Deena Mohamed
The Fawn by Magda Szabo
The Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes
What Have You Left Behind? by Bushra Al-Maqtari
Ti Amo by Hanne Ørstavik
A Line In The World: A Year On The North Sea Coast by Dorthe Nors

🏆 Aspen Words
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez

Friendly reminder that Literary Fifteen 2024 is live! The book is for the 2024 longlist (and more books are incoming).

🏆 Jhalak
The Secret Diaries Of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph
Onyeka And The Academy Of The Sun by Tolá Okogwu
I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel

🏆 Jhalak & OCM Bocas
When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

🏆 NBA Translated Fiction
The Most Secret Memory Of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr
Abyss by Pilar Quintana

🏆 Nebula & Ursula K. Le Guin
Spear by Nicola Griffith

🏆 Carol Shields
Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades

Leaning onto this stack are today’s purchases: The Antiquarian Sticker Book and The Botanist’s Sticker Anthology. Stickers intended to add that bit of art you need some days when you do not have it in you to draw or paint something yourself.

As for my Literary Fifteen status I’ve completed 8 out of 15 prompts. This stack would allow me to catch up on most of the prompts I have yet to read from: OCM Bocas (I’m working on OCM Bocas as I’m reading my way through Moon Witch Spide King by Marlon James. It is brutal as always but I’m enjoying being back with Sogolon and having James open a new world that deserves is own series in each chapter), Carol Shields, Jhalak, Ursula K. Le Guin.

AKO Caine I’m planning to read all the stories – just like last year – which are available through their website. It was a delight and exploration of different ways to tell a story.

For the Stella and JCB there are no books available for me so I’m guessing I will have to give up or figure out which one to buy. Any suggestions or disappointments?

Literary Fifteen 2024

A reading challenge sampling 15 literary awards and hopefully finding some of your best reads in 2024.

The prizes will take you to several places around the world and offers translated fiction, poetry, non-fiction, short stories, fantasy, political novels, queer lit and much more. The prompts & literary prizes:

1. Aspen Words – longlist is already here!!!

2. Dublin Literary Award

3. OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature

4. International Booker

5. Carol Shields Prize for Fiction

6. Jhalak Prize

7. Lambda Literary Award

8. Ignyte Awards

9. AKO Caine Prize for African Writing

10. The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction

11. Polari Book Prize

12. JCB Prize for Fiction

13. National Book Award for Translated Fiction

14. Warwick Prize for Women in Translation

15. Award of your choice

Rules:
Read (or DNF) at least one story nominated for a literary award.

If you want more, read for 2 or more prizes. Or read 1 or more for a prize.

It doesn’t matter how much you read – any level of participation counts. Read as much or little as you want to – read because you want to.
PS. This is also a reminder to myself to not try to do it all even when you shouldn’t.

Which prize are you most looking forward to in 2024? Which prize would you pick for no 15? Curious to know even if you do not join the challenge!

OCM Bocas

2023 is the second year I’m running the reading challenge #LiteraryFifteen – a reading challenge that samples one book from 15 literary awards across the world.

One of my favourite prizes is OCM Bocas which focuses on Caribbean literary. OCM Bocas consistently delivers excellence and this year’s longlist is no different!!! OCM Bocas’ longlist feels like other prize’s perfect shortlists – is it the quality of the judges or authors? Who knows, but you are in for some excellent reading.

The longlist is divided into 3 categories – poetry, fiction and nonfiction – each awarded with a winner as well as an overall winner. This year the longlist covers five Caribbean countries.

Poetry: 

The Day-Breakers by Michael Fraser – 🇬🇩

Sonnets for Albert by Anthony Joseph – 🇹🇹 

de book of Joseph by Pamela Mordecai – 🇯🇲 

Fiction: 

Moon witch, spider king by Marlon James – 🇯🇲 

When we were birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo – 🇹🇹 

The island of forgetting by Jasmine Sealy – 🇧🇧 

Nonfiction:

Love the dark days by Ira Mathur – 🇹🇹 

Buyers beware: insurgency and consumption in Caribbean popular culture by Patricia Joan Saunders – 🇹🇹 

Diary of a recovering politician by Godfrey Smith – 🇧🇿 

The judges have given special mentions to two books of poetry – Border zone by John Agard and Narcissus by Andre Bagoo – and a book of nonfiction Clientism and democracy in Belize: from my hand to your by Dylan Vernon.

As always my focus will be the fiction category – I read zero nonfiction last year and poetry is still something I’m testing out. Of course I already own Moon with, spider king and I will restart it soon. I’ve also reserved When we were birds at the library, it should arrive early April. Once I’ve read these two I’ll order The island of forgetting. The reviews are really promising for all three books – as always when it comes to OCM Bocas. We have the honour of a strong and outspoken Caribbean Bookstagram community. They have judged the books as awesome. You are done – you can buy the books.

Would you go for poetry, fiction or nonfiction? Which book is calling your name? 

My International Booker shortlist

I’m of the opinion that predictions are just for fun – you use whatever method you like making a prediction. Guess wildly, read all longlisters, pick the covers you like – I enjoy the posts regardless 🥰

My shortlist is what I would pick if I was the judge (and hadn’t read all the books 🤫 don’t tell on me please). So I have to both enjoy the books and see that sparkle of a winner whatever that means, it is all nonsense 😂

I have read Is mother dead by Vigdis Hjorth and A system so magnificent it is blinding by Amanda Svensson. Out of those two Hjorth makes my shortlist. I absolutely enjoyed Svensson’s book though.

I’m in the midst of reading Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov and The Birthday Party by Laurent Mauvignier. I can see both books growing on me but I will not be selecting them for my shortlist.

Inspired by others I’ve decided to sample the first couple of pages of the remaining books. Ninth Building and Jimi Hendrix live in Lviv are the only ones I don’t have access to so I read the excerpts available on the prize website. A suggestion I highly recommend if you want to get a feel for the books before hunting them down!

Besides Hjorth I’m adding Nettel my favourite even before the longlist was announced and Condé an all-time favourite author. Baltasar has been intriguing me since before the announcement and the first couple of pages settled it – I want it on the shortlist. Both Kurkov and GauZ’ held promise and the sample reading earned them a spot on the shortlist.

Here is my shortlist: 

Is mother dead by Vigdis Hjorth 🇳🇴 

Still born by Guadalupe Nettel 🇲🇽 

The gospel according to the new world by Maryse Condé 🇬🇵 

Jimi Hendrix live in Lviv by Andrey Kurkov 🇺🇦

Boulder by Eva Baltasar 🇪🇸 

Standing Heavy by GauZ’ Côte D’Ivoire 🇨🇮

Which books do you hope to see on the shortlist? What am I wrong or right about?